


Night Terrors

by Stryfe



Series: Sundence [1]
Category: Cable and Deadpool, Marvel, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Timeline, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Brothers, Clonecest, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Other, Providence, Suicide Attempt, X-men - Freeform, beginning of clone-cest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-19
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-31 13:01:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12133047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stryfe/pseuds/Stryfe
Summary: Nathan is left reflecting on his choices after one argument too many with Stryfe only to be left a little too cold as the night goes on.This is a birthday gift for Sundence :) <3





	Night Terrors

**Author's Note:**

> Joyeux anniversaire Sun ♥(ˆ⌣ˆԅ)

The experience of sleeping on his office couch felt all too familiar to Nathan in recent times. He and Stryfe had argued more and more over so many things and he usually left to make sure Stryfe was at least comfortable enough to sleep; comfortable and in a familiar place with familiar smells and sights. While they had been together awhile, Stryfe was still adjusting to life on Providence and to working with the X-men. Hell, Stryfe had even slowly begun changing one or two of his moral viewpoints for Nathan’s sake.

Now, though, he could _feel_ Stryfe pulling away from him, even if he didn’t do so physically. It was painful to an extent that he couldn’t just ignore anymore. Was it all the arguments they’d had in the past weeks? Between paperwork, diplomatic meetings, saving the world here and there and the arguments, they really hadn’t spoken much. Or talked. Or relaxed together…

“Stryfe…” Nathan murmured out loud, as the realization slowly dawned on him: Stryfe, mentally, still had so many problems. If they hadn’t been spending enough time together on good terms, then was that what caused Stryfe to pull away? His brother was so used to violence that perhaps the rocky area they were treading with each other now was starting to make Stryfe panic and think that his haven was crumbling before his eyes. Stryfe was saving himself emotionally and mentally by trying to cut the bonds that tied them together sooner rather than later…

He could still see the tears welling in Stryfe’s eyes not too long ago, could hear the sobbing as Nathan had left the room, too absorbed in his own anger to care for the despair of his only brother.

Now that he thought about it, Nathan had to admit that he was rather… self-centered. Maybe a bit too manipulative, if his demands during the arguments were anything to go by. How he was just realizing this now was a miracle to himself considering how long it had been since everything had started. Was someone in the galaxy giving him a hint perhaps that things had been taking a dark turn?

Some omniscient story teller perhaps?

Whatever the case, Nathan sighed in relief, his mind now humming like a machine at maximum speed. How was he supposed to work things out with Stryfe? He could start by apologizing and getting rid of any meetings for the next few weeks before he took Stryfe to some resort hotel for just the two of them. If Stryfe was willing, perhaps he might even be able to start fulfilling some of the fantasies Stryfe was having about the two of them: hot, lingering kisses, metal and flesh exploring each other to find out where one person began and the other stopped.

Considering how much they’d been in each other’s head, was it Stryfe’s fantasies or just his? He never really could tell since he ran through so many different minds during a single day. Nathan grunted as he sat up, filled with a renewed purpose to go back to Stryfe and right the wrongs he’d done.

Goal one: drag Stryfe into a kiss and see how he reacts. Goal two: beg forgiveness and make an excuse for the kiss if Stryfe is not as intrigued with kissing him as he thought. Nathan rolled his shoulders as he cringed inside at the lack of excuses he could find at the moment. Was there _any_ good excuse for clonecest? Sure, having sex with Stryfe wouldn’t be incest per-se but would it be an emotional _form_ of incest? Was it as easy as saying that physically it was masturbation and on a mental or emotional level it was normal sex since they were different people?

Perhaps not, given the unknown gray area he had started walking into. Shaking off the matters for now, Nathan resolved to put aside his thoughts and do this the same way Wade would: do whatever it was now and fix the issue later if he needed to.

Or avoid it entirely with awkward silences when the topic arose, just like he constantly did with Irene’s feelings for him… Either way he was bound to make some progress with Stryfe.

Swallowing hard, Nathan forced one foot forward before making himself take another step and yet another after that. As he walked the cold hallways, he felt his insides twisting.

“I can do this. It’s just talking to Stryfe, like usual.” Nathan breathed in deeply and let it all out, trying to calm himself down and yet psyche himself up. “If he doesn’t like the kiss I can always excuse it by saying… Wade,” Nathan grinned to himself suddenly, “Wade dared me to do it.” Yes, that was it. **Wade**. The chaotic, unknowable force of nature was also the perfect excuse. After all, Wade did hint about being in a ‘twin’ sandwich around him and Stryfe. As he neared the hallway to the door, Nathan wouldn’t notice the loving smile on his face nor his newfound confidence.

_Bang!_

Nathan’s body transitioned flawlessly as he began running down the hall. Old feelings long since past surged to the surface to mingle with things they did not belong in.

Although accustomed to both war and peacetime now, little was more disturbing than hearing a sound in the dead of night, when all should be silent and still. The sound echoed all too loudly from a place where he had grown accustomed to feeling safe and listening to the background noise of a bustling Providence during the day and the crashing waves outside at night. It was a sound that, to Nathan, should not have existed in this time or place so far from the battlefield.

“ ** _STRYFE_**!” Nathan yelled as he was slowed down by opening the door. “ ** _STRYFE_**!” He called once more, rushing into the room, sure that he must be waking all of Providence up.

Nathan stopped only for a moment, but the sight of what lay before him was too much to for his mind to take in immediately:

His precious brother lay near motionless on the bed, not moving in response to anything except his fading need to breathe. Stryfe’s head hung partially over the edge of the bed where Nathan could see blood dripping onto the metal floor, could hear each _plip-plop_ as if they were clear and distinctive sounds. Near Stryfe’s left hip was the gun, having fallen back onto the bed with his brother’s arm.

_“Mother Askani, no! Stryfe, please!”_ Nathan pleaded as his world came to a jolting stop. **_“Stryfe!”_** He ran to the bed, a cold, dark feeling of dread building up in him as reality started to settle in all too deep.

His brother had shot himself in the head. He needed Stryfe and Stryfe was dying.

“ELIXIR! **ELIXIR**!” Nathan roared as he grabbed Stryfe and began to teleport them to the X-men mansion, all too aware of the blood from Stryfe’s wound seeping into his clothes, right above his heart, where metal and flesh kissed each other.

It was too hot against his body, where all the warmth and life had left him at the sound of the pistol firing.


End file.
